Catalog
Æ17 - Aphilas
| Issuer | Aksum |
|---|---|
| Year | 305-315 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Hammered |
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| Obverse description | Draped bust of King Aphilas facing, depicted frontally with a diadem or crown, set within the central field. The effigy is rendered in a schematic Aksumite style characteristic of early fourth-century bronze coinage. A circular Greek legend surrounds the bust, reading AΦIΛAC BACIΛЄYC AξѠ, identifying the king and his royal title. The flan is irregular and the fields show the typical rough surface of hammered Aksumite bronze issues. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse script | Greek |
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| Additional information |
Aphilas ruled Aksum in the early fourth century and is known almost exclusively through his coinage — no contemporary written sources document his reign. His issues are among the earliest sub-Saharan African coins to carry a royal portrait with gilded inlay, a technique that distinguishes Aksumite production from virtually all other ancient minting traditions. This particular type, catalogued under MHAC#13, falls within the smaller bronze denominations that circulated alongside silver and gold issues in a remarkably sophisticated trimetallic system for the period.